Personal conveyance is off-duty use of a commercial motor vehicle for personal reasons when the movement is not for the commercial benefit of the carrier, shipper, or receiver. A carrier may authorize the category and set a stricter policy.
What this means for your fleet
Write a carrier policy with allowed and prohibited examples, require a specific annotation, and review patterns such as repeated movement toward a shipper, terminal, or next assignment. Apply the facts of the trip, not a mileage shortcut.
The commercial-benefit boundary
Carrier authorization does not turn a business trip into personal conveyance. A personal trip from lodging to a restaurant may qualify while the driver is relieved of work. Bypassing available rest locations to get closer to the next loading or unloading point does not qualify. Record the actual purpose, and check any uncertain movement against FMCSA guidance and carrier policy.
What to check
| Check | How to verify |
|---|---|
| 1. Confirm the driver is relieved from work | Keep the driver's off-duty state, relief from work and responsibility, dispatch release, time/location, remaining obligations, and reviewer. |
| 2. Identify the personal purpose | Retain the stated personal purpose, origin, destination, passengers or personal activity, timing, dispatch context, and facts excluding commercial benefit. |
| 3. Check carrier policy | Keep the current carrier policy, authorization, allowed/prohibited examples, stricter limits, acknowledgment, reviewer, and version. |
| 4. Record the special status and annotation | Preserve the original event, selected personal-conveyance category, start/end time and location, specific annotation, driver review, and audit history. |
| 5. Review destination and commercial benefit | Attach route/destination and next assignment context, shipper/carrier benefit analysis, qualified reviewer, decision, correction, and dispatch action. |
Common failure modes
- Setting an arbitrary mileage allowance as the rule.
- Using it to advance a load.
- Leaving the purpose unannotated.
Limits and exceptions
Use this guide to plan your checks; it does not determine whether a legal exception applies, certify a record, or guarantee compliance, safety, savings, or audit results. Preserve original ELD records and edit history. Use the current rules to determine applicability and the manual for your installed device for operating instructions.
Sources and review date
Reviewed August 10, 2026. Check the latest rules and product information before changing your procedures or signing a contract.
- FMCSA guidance on recording hours of service — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- Editing, annotation, certification, and original-record preservation — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- Factor ELD products, plans, and support — Factor ELD.